Chapter 469 Another Year
Upon hearing the news of the Crown Prince's death, the Empress was so devastated that she fainted on the spot.
Emperor Jingwen was devastated by the loss of his beloved son. Because the mastermind behind the murder had not yet been found, he berated the officials of the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review. Gu Jingxi, as a favored minister, was not spared and was also scolded.
Since being promoted to Minister, Minister Yu of the Ministry of Justice had never been scolded so badly by Emperor Jingwen. After leaving the palace, he quietly asked Gu Jingxi, "Minister Gu, everyone says you are a brilliant judge of cases. Do you really have no clue about this case?"
Gu Jingxi shook his head slightly and replied, "Lord Yu, if I had found any clues, why would I have been reprimanded for my poor performance? Although I have solved many cases, there are still many unsolved cases that I cannot solve. The people who solve cases have their methods, and the perpetrators are not lacking in skill, leaving no trace after they commit the crime."
Lord Yu was speechless at these words, and then sighed sadly. If the case could not be resolved, his official hat would not be secure. Who knew if the emperor would find him incompetent and demote him?
After a moment, Lord Yu asked again, "Does Lord Gu have any candidates he suspects?"
Gu Jingxi replied without hesitation, "Not at the moment."
After hearing this, Lord Yu gave him a strange look, not believing that he had no suspects. Even he himself had suspects, but due to the lack of evidence, he could not say certain things carelessly.
Lord Yu: "Then this case..."
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Jingxi interrupted, "Investigate! Keep investigating! Dig three feet into the ground and find the mastermind behind this! Otherwise, how can we explain this to the Emperor?"
Lord Yu nodded: "Lord Gu is right, but where should we begin the investigation?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "There are always more solutions than problems, what do you think, Lord Yu?"
Lord Yu: "..."
That's as good as saying nothing. They're officials investigating the case together, so why are they so wary of him? Even if they told him, he wouldn't tell anyone else.
Never mind, Gu Jingxi doesn't trust him, but he does trust Gu Jingxi's character.
Therefore, Lord Yu said meaningfully, "Lord Gu, I think whoever benefits the most from the Crown Prince's death is the most suspicious."
Gu Jingxi turned to look at him, nodded slightly, and agreed with his point of view: "This humble official thinks that Lord Yu's words are reasonable. Does Lord Yu have anyone he suspects?"
Lord Yu: "..."
Even after I've made myself so clear, you're still pretending. Gu Jingxi is quite cunning.
Lord Yu had no choice but to whisper three words in his ear.
Gu Jingxi paused, then asked, "Lord Yu, do you have any substantial evidence to support your claim?"
Lord Yu replied, "No, that's why I didn't mention it to His Majesty just now. But if things continue like this, I don't know when this case will be closed. Now I'm most afraid of going to the palace to meet His Majesty."
Gu Jingxi remained silent. It wasn't just Lord Yu who was anxious; he was anxious too, but he really couldn't find any clues. Assassinating the Crown Prince was such a big deal, the other party would definitely be careful and wouldn't leave any clues for people to follow and find out the truth, which also increased the difficulty of solving the case.
night.
Gu Jingxi returned home exhausted and found that A Yao was still waiting for him. When she heard his footsteps, she suddenly looked up at him with worry in her eyes.
He walked over and said before A Yao could ask anything, "I'm fine, A Yao, don't worry."
Meng Jinyao asked, "Husband, the mastermind hasn't been found out. Has the Emperor taken his anger out on you?"
Gu Jingxi shook his head slightly: "No, it's just that the case is a bit tricky. The mastermind behind it is well hidden, and we don't know when the case will be closed."
After hearing this, Meng Jinyao comforted him, saying, "The net of heaven is vast, and though its meshes are wide, nothing escapes it. The truth will eventually come out."
Gu Jingxi sighed inwardly. If the other party hadn't slipped up, they might not have been able to find out that when the late emperor was still a prince, two crown princes died one after another before the late emperor had the opportunity to ascend the throne. However, the mastermind behind the deaths of those two crown princes has still not been found.
Sometimes, even if the investigation leads to a specific person, the case has to be shelved due to the person's identity, becoming an unsolved mystery.
After a moment, Gu Jingxi changed the subject: "Ayao, is there anything to eat?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "Yes, they're all warming up in the small kitchen. I'll have someone bring them over right away."
Gu Jingxi said gently, "Ayao, you sit down. I'll go tell the maid." After he finished speaking, he turned and left.
After dinner, Gu Jingxi went to the bathroom to take a bath, and then returned to his room to rest, but he had an unusual insomnia.
Meng Jinyao was also awake, and asked softly, "Husband, are you still thinking about the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Gu Jingxi hummed in agreement, then said, "The case can't be closed anytime soon, so let's not think about it for now. Let's go to sleep."
-
The death of the crown prince cast a shadow over the capital.
When the Empress fell ill, Emperor Jingwen was heartbroken and refused to see his ministers. The officials below him were all trembling with fear, afraid of doing something wrong to anger the emperor. The Ministry of Rites was preparing for the Crown Prince's funeral. After seven days of mourning, the body would be laid to rest, and civil and military officials would go to the funeral.
After the Crown Prince's burial, Emperor Jingwen resumed his duties as if nothing had happened, meeting with ministers, attending court as usual, and maintaining a stable mood. However, he had lost a lot of weight, which worried his ministers.
By then, it was the end of December, and Lunar New Year's Eve was just around the corner.
In previous years, the palace would hold a banquet for ministers on New Year's Eve. The families of ministers with imperial titles could also enter the palace to attend the banquet. However, now that the crown prince had just passed away, Emperor Jingwen and the empress were in grief, and the empress dowager was also grieving the loss of her most outstanding eldest grandson. They had no intention of holding a banquet.
On New Year's Eve, officials began their annual leave, and everyone returned home early to reunite with their families.
Zhang and Chen were preparing for tonight's family banquet. Last year, Meng Jinyao also helped with the preparations, but now that she was heavily pregnant, she was told to rest and not to bother.
As soon as Chen entered the room, she saw Zhang looking lost in thought and asked, "Sister-in-law, what are you thinking about? Why are you so absent-minded?"
Zhang sighed softly, "Tomorrow is the New Year, and our Xuanyi hasn't come back yet."
Madam Chen replied, "Sister-in-law, Xuanyi just returned from the Zhang family. She should be at Shou'an Hall now, paying her respects to her grandmother. I reckon she'll come to see you later."
Zhang looked surprised, her tone tinged with reproach: "This girl, she didn't even tell me she was coming back."
Upon hearing this, Chen gave her a look, letting her figure it out herself.
Zhang felt wronged. She was only anxious about Xuan Yi's marriage because she wanted what was best for Xuan Yi, but in the end, it was her fault.
Madam Chen reminded her, "Tonight is the family dinner. Sister-in-law, you should refrain from saying anything that shouldn't be said, lest you ruin the dinner."
Zhang: "..."
Is she the kind of person who spoils the fun?
Looking at the servants outside putting up paper-cut window decorations, Madam Chen said, "In the blink of an eye, another year has passed, and soon there will be new additions to the family."
Zhang asked instinctively, "Is Xiu Hong's marriage about to be settled?"
Chen replied, "It's the baby in my third sister-in-law's belly. Judging from her belly, it'll probably be a boy."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhang pursed her lips and resigned herself to her fate. Her son was not destined to be the heir apparent, so what if this baby was a girl? Her third sister-in-law was so young; she could still have more children.
Chen glanced at her. After so many years as sisters-in-law, how could she not know what she was thinking? This is fate; the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com